A little hat for a little person

This little hat is for my little baby boy who will be born within the next few months.

It only took a couple of hours before it was done. I really like those small projects once in a while.

For this little hat I used 20 g of Pima Cotton DK from Rowan, some left overs I had from this project. I used 3.5 and 4 mm needles and the instructions from the book itty-bitty nursery by Susan B. Anderson. The hat is a part of a layette set but I only made the hat. Also I left out the embroidery. As I used a different yarn with a different gauge I did some small calculations before I started.

If it fits him it will be a part of his "take me home" outfit.

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Boyfriend cardigan

Apparently blogging hasn't been one of my top priorities the last couple of months. It doesn't mean that I've abandoned knitting, though. I've finished Frankie, a boyfriend cardigan by Kim Hargreaves.


The pattern is from her collection Breeze. This was the second time I tried one of Kim Hargreaves's patterns, and I'm loving this as much as the first one.



The yarn is Rowan Classic Pima Cotton DK, probably the best cotton yarn I've tried so far. It came as a kit, ordered directly from hargreaves's website where I also ordered the book. The kit also included the buttons.



I was having troubles getting the right gauge, so I followed the instructions for size small and it came out as a size medium/large. Just perfect.

Frankie in Progress

Mindless Summer Knitting

It's finally time for summer knitting. And once again I fell in love with several Kim Hargreaves designs, one of them being Frankie from the spring/summer collection Breeze. This is my swatch for Frankie


I purchased a yarn kit - indluding buttons - directly from Hargreaves' s website. It went smoothly, a very good reason to do it again sometime.



The yarn is Rowan Pima Cotton DK - deliciously soft cotton yarn. Right now it's all about stockinette stitch, very straightforward and mindless knitting. Frankly speaking!

Digging Out My Summer Tweed

I've started knitting a cardigan using the highly popular February Lady Sweater pattern as a guide. I wanted to try knitting from the top but not doing raglan increases. Instead I'm doing a rounded yoke. Also, I'm considering to knit the body in St st rather than using the lace pattern.




The yarn is Rowan Summer Tweed (70 % silk and 30 % cotton), a birthday present from Karin. She gave it to me last year in August and now is the perfect time to use it. I'm thinking about adding some big buttons, maybe these white ones... I'm not sure.

Last call for summer knits

My summer cardigan is finished just in time to actually be included as a summer knit. It seems as if the summer here is turning into autumn but before I dive completely into the more woolly affairs I just want to show you Cherry.

I might be able to wear it only a couple of times this season but then again – to look at the positive side - it’s ready for next spring. It’s a great pattern and the cardigan turned out pretty much as I anticipated. The yarn was lovely too. It’s not spun very tightly, though, which means that it splits. However, it wasn’t a problem, just something to be aware of. And a good thing is that it results in a very soft garment when knit up.

I found some buttons I like. I wanted them to be red because that way the attention is pointed more towards the lovely pattern, I guess. They do have noticeable details, though.

Pattern: Cherry

Designer: Anna Bell in My Fashionable Life

Yarn: Jo Sharp Soho Summer DK Cotton in the color Carmen

Vacation and birthday

The silence on the blog has been due to some really nice things that have taken my time lately. Vacation in Croatia is one of them. I brought my knitting but even though we spent 10 days there in total relaxation I didn’t knit a single row. We had the most terrific view and I really enjoyed swimming in the sea.

Back home I’ve been busy planning my birthday (30 years of age now!) and graduation party. It turned out to be a great day and I even got several knitting related gifts. My boyfriend gave me a knitting bag, The Knitter’s Satchel from Jordana Paige in deep red. I’m sure I’ll bring my knitting with me a lot more now and I’m looking forward to the next knit café. I was also fortunate to get a yarn swift, a gift voucher for Isager yarn and 6 skeins of Rowan Summer Tweed in red.

For a long time I’ve been dreaming about having a digital reflex camera. I’d like to take more pictures and learn more about photography, not only because I’d like to take better pictures of my knitting but because I’d like to take better photos in general. And guess what, now I have one! An Olympus E-510. It was another gift from my boyfriend and his family. I feel very lucky. Now I just have to practice, practice and practice some more. It’s great.

My knitting at the moment is restricted to the Cherry cardigan. I’d like to finish it before the summer is completely over, even though the weather here is NOT summer right now. Maybe I’ll be able to wear it just once this year, though, I hope so. The back is finished and the left front is in quick progress.

The yarn is Jo Sharp Soho Summer DK Cotton which is lovely, except from the knots where broken yarn is tied together (I hate that). It’s nice and soft, though, and 100 % cotton.

Jasmine

This lovely cotton yarn has finally transformed into a fine summer garment called Jasmine. Speaking of the yarn, I was surprised that it was such a pleasure to knit with because I usually find it less fun to knit with cotton. This was, however, quite easy to work with – a cooperative yarn, so to speak! (Though, of course not as cooperative as wool!) Another great thing, which definitely made my spirits rise was that there were no knots at all and it didn’t split. Two great qualities that make me want to use this yarn again.

The pattern was very detailed (pretty Rowan-like) and easy to follow, only one or two minor errors that weren’t hard to figure out. So, nothing to complain there.

There were lots of ends to weave in as this is not knitted in the round, definitely a drawback in knitting flat. I’m still not convinced what is best; knitting in the round or flat. I tend to think that the latter will leave you with the best result but I actually haven’t knit a sweater in the round - only for a child. (Think I have a future project here!) I’ve read and heard lots of pros and cons of both. Some say that a sweater will tend to twist a little when knitted in the round but then again, that’s a question of how the yarn is spun, right? Also, I’ve seen so many beautiful sweaters around and especially on the internet, which are knitted in the round. What do you prefer?

With a slightly smaller gauge (26 stitches instead of 28 stitches per 4 inches) I made the large size ending with a size slightly smaller than size L and bigger than size M. The pattern calls for 2.25 mm and 2.75 mm needles, which I don’t have so instead I used 2 mm and 2.5 mm and it turned out to be even better for me.

I particularly like the garter stitch piece on the yoke. I think it has its own intrinsic beauty and furthermore, garter stitch in cotton yarn is a great way to practice your skills in getting an even surface. I’m still not totally happy with mine, though, which means more practice. Bring on some more garter stitch!

There is only one small detail on the finished sweater that I find less charming. Apparently, I avoided exposing this on the photos and I’m not sure if this is only in my version but I think that there’s a little too much fabric just above the arm pit. Anyway, it’s a small detail and overall I’m very satisfied.

Pattern: Jasmine from Nectar

Designer: Kim Hargreaves

Yarn: Rowan 4 ply cotton